d.a.i.-Top Talk from April 27 with Prof. Dr. Heinz Bude from the University of Kassel, moderator: Dr. Bernd Villhauer At the latest since the storming of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., in January of this year, it has been clear that the division in American society after the end of the Trump era weighs heavier than ever. A development is becoming increasingly apparent, and not only in the USA: Fueled by the anonymity of the internet and reinforced by the perceived lack of understanding on the part of the other side, anger and hatred, conspiracy theories and alternative truths are spreading around the globe. How do these moods arise in society, how – and above all why – do they sometimes influence politics and all our lives more than logical arguments and facts? Does Joe Biden personify the beginning of positive change, or are we heading into even more dangerous waters with Angela Merkel’s departure? Sociologist Heinz Bude has analyzed and evaluated social moods in his studies. In the talk, he will address these and other questions, taking a comparative look at the situation here in Germany and in the United States. Heinz Bude has been Professor of Sociology at the University of Kassel since 2000. Until 2014, he headed the department “The Society of the Federal Republic” at the Hamburg Institute for Social Research. In 2016, he received the Prize of the German Sociological Association and published his book “Das Gefühl der Welt. Über die Macht von Stimmungen” (The World’s Feelings: On the Power of Moods) with the Hanser Verlag. Moderation: Dr. Bernd Villhauer, Weltethos Institute Tübingen Miss the conversation? Watch it here (in German): To see the content you must accept the functional cookies in the cookie settings. Cookie settings